Life during Lockdown in the UK and Wholesome Recipes!
“Daily Walks, Runs and Fresh Crisp Air…”
Before you start reading, in case you are just looking for the recipes, they are all on my website rootmatters.net recipe page, or just scroll further down below…
UK LOCKDOWN, BOARDING SCHOOL, DETOX AND EMPTY NESTERS…I know, I know, I should have started writing down recipes as I was experimenting, but the fact was, I was quite enjoying a new found freedom of cooking with new ingredients, that it was quite liberating to not have to record every new dish and ingredient in the making. After three plus months in the UK during lockdown, it definitely has been very much a recuperative time, with much needed rest, good wholesome and hearty food, deep sleeps, beautiful country walks airing our lungs and quality time spent together with family. We came to the UK to bring Lauren, our daughter, to boarding school, but school was closed for another two months before she could physically go back. This was a true blessing in disguise for me as I was already commiserating the fact I hadn't spent enough time with her before leaving Macau. She was busy saying goodbye to all her school friends. We got an extra two months to nurture our relationships, talk about everything, our dreams, visions and things on our heart, as well as making a conscious effort to boost her immune system and pump her up with nutrient dense food, as of course she's going to starve at boarding school! I was excited with all the fresh organic salad leaves, root vegetables and produce at the supermarkets, and especially the weekly farmer's markets I don't find often in Asia. However, I must admit I am now seriously missing some authentic Kai Lan, Choi Sum and Baby Pak Chois from the east! Earlier on, after quite a lot of resting and indulging, we and extended family decided it would be wise to do a detox with my Root Matters 11-day RESET programme. This is where we spent many hours in the kitchen, prepping, cooking, enjoying and being in my happy place. Then all of a sudden, Chris and I are empty nesters. I will have to tell you more another time, as I am still transitioning…
11-DAY RESET, DIGESTION AND POOP… So rest, exercise, detox and reset with family was a great 11-day plus experience. The aim was to focus on whole foods, loads of greens (I was getting weird looks at the supermarket with the mountain of greens spilling out of my trolley, pity about the amount of plastics used in supermarkets though, a far cry from my farmer’s market shop), to eliminate mainly inflammatory food groups such as sugars, gluten, dairy, caffeine and toxins (food and environment). Detoxing my mind, heart and soul, searching more inwards than outwards was very refreshing for me spiritually and I am so grateful that I got the time and space to do this at a more slower pace than usual. Exercise-wise, I was able to do daily power pilates or stretching flows, and go for walks and runs either alone or with family. On a side note, digestive issues, elimination, and constipation was a big topic during these days among our bubble group, and I know with clients too. There is so much to learn here, and recently I listened to a great podcast with "poo aficionado” Sarah Greenfield and linked it below - thought you might be interested! It’s so important to know and understand your poop, as it tells you so much about the state of your body. Ok it might be TMI for some, but beware, it’s becoming more of an open topic these days…
WHOLE FOODS, PLANT BASE, UNSTABLE BLOOD SUGARS AND HORMONES… Now getting back to the recipes I posted a while back, many were just experiments in the kitchen, adjusting and changing as I went along. Some were inspired by friends, restaurants or like-minded people who I have been following. The first step is to decide on your base and key ingredients, then find other foods to complement, all the while trying to upgrade the nutrient value of the dish. Generally, my philosophy is to cook with as much whole foods as I can, and opt for ingredients with relatively less carbohydrates and sugars. Processed foods are normally laden with hidden sugars, fillers, chemicals, toxins, and ingredient names that are so long that I don’t know what they are! Basically if you can't pronounce it, put it back on the shelf! If I do have meat it's normally organic or grass-fed, or wild caught fish, however recently, I am gearing more and more towards plant based foods. This really has been evolving slowly for me, and I think to go slow really is the best way, as it can be quite overwhelming if you switch overnight. My evolving stems from a routine annual medical check about two years ago, where although still within norm, my blood sugars were the highest it’s ever been. This was a good wake up call and that’s why I always encourage family and clients to have blood works checked regularly, by doing so, there’s so many preventive measures for many potential chronic illnesses. I had thought I could take quite a lot of carbohydrates, and sweets, as I exercised and ate pretty healthily and balanced. But as I discovered, these things catch up on you, and my hormones are changing as I’m getting older (sigh!). So it was a great cautionary alert, and something I should do about now, rather than wait until I have a more serious problem on hand. Anybody in the same boat?
MENOPAUSE, INSULIN, BINGES AND LIFESTYLE… So it boils down to that I am currently in a peri-menopausal state, my hormones are having a bit of a wild party in my body, causing an imbalance in so many things, especially my insulin levels. Insulin is such a huge topic I am delving deeper into, and is the basis of many chronic diseases. What I could eat and do before, is no longer the case now. I’ve experienced fatigue, headaches, night sweats, bloatedness, swelling, unstable weight, weak bladder as well as other symptoms on and off. I think many women can relate as they approach peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause stages. Over these past few years, the majority of my clients had some form of metabolic disorders and syndromes primarily related to insulin, especially diabetes and cholesterol problems. Through working with them for 6-12 months on their wellness journeys, it has been such a great insight on how food and lifestyle can truly be your medicine to improved health, and especially how we are all bio-individuals and really no one diet fits all, it is an ongoing discovery. It's important to find out what are your best choices, given your budget, environment and lifestyle. Whether you want to make those lifestyle habit changes and to start taking control of what you feed yourself or not. Equipping clients with the right personal source of information that is suited for them, focusing on whole foods, and instilling healthy habits has been key. Of course, those who do really well, are those who are willing to trial and error, and are self-driven to find out what makes them the healthiest version of themselves. Many of these clients have come off, or significantly reduced their prescribed medications, the best part is many say they never felt better. There’s no real short cut I'm afraid, especially as we get older, our bodies are constantly changing, and I feel especially now I really need to listen to what and how my body feels. I'm not saying we never fall through the cracks, we definitely have weaknesses, binge spurts and feel guilty for eating more of the things we shouldn't. What I normally find is when we have these cravings, addictions or habits, is that after digging deeper, it is often associated with certain behaviours as a child or certain periods in our lives that particular types of foods or habits trigger something in us. It is often more than just food, but rather a memory or emotional feeling attached to it. It would be good to go deeper into the reason for these habits/ addictions, as more often than not, there's a lot of discovering involved, which in turn has led to many breakthroughs. Don't beat yourself up about certain behaviours or habits towards food and things that have happened, rather, learn from it, forgive yourself, let things go, and move on. See what you can do now with the situation. Obviously, the best thing is to give what your body needs, help it to benefit from the nutrients you feed it with, and find and discover what works best for you. By constantly incorporating daily habits and a lifestyle that suits you, your body will love you for it, which will make you want to feel your best now and in the future.
FINALLY, THE RECIPES… and coming back on track! Below are some of the dishes I've been cooking up in these past few months, especially the more plant based ones. I can say my body is benefiting from this change, so hopefully it will help stabalise my blood sugars and insulin in the long run. Simply click on the photo or the link to go to the recipe page. Hope you’ll enjoy making them, and don’t forget to tag or pm me if you make them!
A dear friend baked this moist and decadent vegan cake for us when we visited her home in Hong Kong, she topped it with delicious goji berries. I've made it as a birthday cake with frosting, one with nuts and things, but here I chose raspberries and a berry compote drizzle for St. Valentine's Day. This recipe was inspired by madeleineshaw.com
I love this dish, and always fall back on it when I have some white fish, or cod in the house. The flavours are just divine, and the cod just eats up all my home-made vegetable stock, infusing it for a hearty lunch or a light dinner with a salad. Of course, for those ok with carbs, a loaf of crusty bread always goes well with this one. I’m thinking if you want to make it vegan, you can use tofu, I will try that soon.
I have always loved eggs for my daily protein intake, so when I get a chance to use them and then to use leftovers in the fridge, well that’s a double blessing. It's so satisfying to clear out the fridge and remake another tasty dish with it! Frittatas are really so quick and simple to whip up, and great served for a fulfilling breakfast or for lunch with a lovely green salad.
So keeping with the egg theme, this is another super quick and tasty breakfast or lunch dish. The great thing with this dish is you can use lots of complementing ingredients and pair them together to create amazing fresh flavours, especially with all the different herbs!
I love this warm and hearty vegan soup (except if you add grass-fed butter, which can be easily omitted). It gives me lovely memories of bible studies with my beautiful Macau friends, where we would sometimes have lunch together and just sit and chat, and enjoy each other's company. I know this recipe has been shared many times, and is inspired by acedarspoon.com
This is always a winner with everyone, especially our AGAPE family in Macau! It's super healthy, filled with good fats and fibre from the coconut milk, chia seeds and fruits! I don't add any sugar, the sweetness is naturally from the fruits, especially the mangoes. Another super easy vegan recipe, where you can mix and match and jazz it up or down for a simple breakfast or a lavish pudding.
One of my many favourite protein shakes as it has lots of good fats that we all need! Check out my recipe for the low down of all the goodness. This one is inspired by Dr. Mark Hyman but I've added some greens too. Choc full of all the nutrients to power you through the morning. either pre or post workout, or for a quick breakfast! Try it out, especially if you don't have any protein powders on hand.
This is a super colourful dish with many textures and flavours. It makes a wonderful lunch and the fish absorbs all the gorgeous spices. The lime dressing for the salad is a perfect balance, it gives it a wonderful freshness to the whole dish. Try it and tell me what you think. And a double plus is it's Keto and gluten-free.
I have to say, I am slightly addicted to this super nutritious vegan and keto dip.It just has this very nice kick to it with the jalapeño pepper. Pumpkin seeds are full of antioxidants, magnesium, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin B2 and folate. I love having it with cut-up raw veggies, and before I know it, I’ve eaten half my veggies for the day already!
I'm happy to say I woke up this morning feeling a new splurge of energy and trying to focus more on business and new projects ahead…
During these strange COVID 19 times, I am so thankful for God and my prayer life sustaining me, and I continue to pray for everyone’s lives who have been impacted. My heart goes out especially to those who have lost loved ones, and cannot see family, for those on the frontline risking their lives, whatever the situation, I hope we can all learn to treasure our relationships even more.
As part of my passion and work, I am constantly researching and learning from people with different views and perspectives on health and well-being, and have shared below some books and podcasts I’ve been reading and listening to recently that might be of interest to you.
Shops in the UK are opening up next week, and we can do a bit of al fresco dining at restaurants. Hopefully the virus will be well managed, and we’ll be getting back to a new norm soon, I seriously can't wait to see the rest of my family and friends here, and to have a break from the kitchen, and eat out for a bit. I know all of you who are locked down, are looking forward to that too, here's to better days ahead for everyone!
BOOKS:
-How Not To Die - Michael Greger
-The Blood Sugar Solution by Mark Hyman
-The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung
PODCASTS:
Supporting Your Immune System through Gut Health with Tina Anderson and Kiran Krishnan. https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/be-well-by-kelly/id1493002505?l=en&i=1000511410133
Auschwitz Survivor Dr Edith Eger on How to Discover Your Inner Power. https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/feel-better-live-more-with-dr-rangan-chatterjee/id1333552422?l=en&i=1000504023853
Women’s Hormones, PCOS and Menopause with Dr Felice Garsh. https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/be-well-by-kelly/id1493002505?l=en&i=1000502569305
Why We Need To Fix Our Food System with Mark Hyman. https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/feel-better-live-more-with-dr-rangan-chatterjee/id1333552422?l=en&i=1000466066149
Heal and Support Your Gut with Sarah Greenfieldhttps://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/be-well-by-kelly/id1493002505?l=en&i=1000516117838